Archive for the ‘NC Visual Arts’ Category

The Durham Arts Council’s annual Call for Artists is now open! Visual artists are invited to apply for an exhibit in our Allenton or Semans Galleries for a 6-8 week period. Exhibition opportunities are also available at the Durham Convention Center for 6 month periods in Durham, NC.

The fee to apply is $15; applications are due no later than January 31, 2019, to be considered for an exhibit between July 2019-July 2020. Contact by e-mail at (stierney@durhamarts.org) with any questions.

The Durham Arts Council building is a 52,000 sq. ft. community arts center in downtown Durham that contains 4 galleries, 2 theaters, rehearsal studios, classrooms, meeting spaces and the offices of ten local arts organizations. DAC Building and DAC downtown arts events and arts education programs attracted attendance of 429,260 in FY2018, generating visits from local, regional, and multi-state visitors.

Once a year, for the past thirty-one years, potters and ceramic artists have converged on Asheboro, NC, from across the country and beyond to attend the North Carolina Potters Conference where they are able to see demonstrations and hear presentations by world-renowned potters. Created by Dwight Holland, Mark Hewitt, and Dorothy Auman, the conference is one of the oldest annual gatherings of potters in the US and has always featured strong educational and networking components. In March of 2019, potters and ceramic artists will again converge on Asheboro for the 32nd annual Potters Conference, a long-time event hosted by the Randolph Arts Guild.

Beginning with the 2020 conference, the North Carolina Pottery Center, located in Seagrove, NC, will assume organizational leadership and host the conference. The Randolph Arts Guild established a firm foundation on which the NC Pottery Center can build and improve the event. Reginald Scott, executive director, stated that the decision to relinquish management of the NC Potters Conference was a difficult one for the board of directors because of the number of years the organization has managed the event. From the beginning, the NC Potters Conference has been recognized nationally and internationally as a premiere ceramics event not only due to the quality of the presenters and lecturers but because of the unparalleled hospitality offered by the Guild’s staff and volunteers. Scott offered, “Not only is transitioning the conference to the North Carolina Pottery Center a good move for both organizations and those who attend the conference, the support and attention the Center staff can devote to its planning will take it to the next level.”

With the 2020 conference only sixteen months away there is a lot of work to be done, but the NC Pottery Center is already generating plans and ideas to enhance the conference. Lindsey Lambert, executive director of the North Carolina Pottery Center, shares, “Right now, we’re assessing the logistical details of the conference and creating a blueprint for how we want the conference to look. The exact details regarding conference activities, venues, and food have not been set yet. We do hope to make use of Seagrove’s new convention center space, which is scheduled to be completed in 2019, for at least a portion of the conference activities.” The Center also wants to ensure that the Randolph Arts Guild remains involved in the conference in some way given the guild’s long history with the conference.

Lambert adds, “The NC Pottery Center is honored to be hosting the North Carolina Potters Conference in 2020 and beyond. The NC Potters Conference has a great reputation and given our mission, Sharing North Carolina’s Clay Stories, Past and Present!, the Center is a perfect fit to carry on the rich tradition of the conference. Additionally, the Center is happy to be able to step in and take over to ensure that the NC Potters Conference, and the revenue it generates for local businesses, continues and remains right here, in Randolph County, the heart of North Carolina.”

Exhibitions are made possible through the generosity of our membership, the Mary and Elliott Wood Foundation, the John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation, and the Goodnight Educational Foundation. This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Thank you!

The mission of the North Carolina Pottery Center is to promote public awareness of and appreciation for the history, heritage, and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina.

The Center is located at 233 East Avenue in Seagrove, NC. Hours of operation are Tue. – Sat., from 10am – 4pm.

On our cover this month have works from three galleries in the University of South Carolina system: “Empowerment Through the Lens of AfroArt,” featuring works by the Atlanta-based CreativeSoul Photography, on view at USC Upstate’s UPSTATE Gallery on Main in Spartanburg, SC; “Radiant Geometry,” featuring works by Carl Gombert, on view at USC-Upstate’s Curtis R. Harley Art Gallery, in Spartanburg, SC; and “Framing Interference,” a joint exhibition by two artists, Jodi Lightner and Adrian Rhodes, on view at the University of South Carolina’s McMaster Gallery, in Columbia, SC.

So download that PDF and dig in – it makes for good reading and shows that you have lots of opportunities to enjoy the visual arts in the Carolinas. And, don’t forget to find a way to thank our advertisers – they make this publication possible.

And help us spread this issue around by sending this link to your friends.

Don’t forget that the deadline for our January 2019 issue will be Dec. 24 at 5pm.

Don’t just mark your calendar, get to Turtle Island Pottery in Old Fort, NC, before Nov. 30, 2018, to get a 20% discount off items you purchase at our Showroom. They’re also offering Free Shipping for those who can’t get here from there!

We have had a good year at the showroom. I think folks are beginning to discover that a stay in Old Fort is less expensive than Asheville or Black Mountain. It is a small rural town and still close enough to get to any activity in Asheville.

So to thank everyone and encourage you to buy local and buy handmade for the coming Holidays we are offering this sale.

We can meet you any day, just give us a call at 828/337-0992. The showroom is open Saturdays 10am-4pm. Send me an e-mail at (Turtle Island Pottery <TiPottery@gmail.com) if you need a package sent off. I can take photos of what we have if you need ideas.

The STARworks Gallery in Star, NC, will be decorated for the holiday season with more than 2,500 colorful hand-crafted glass and ceramic ornaments Dec. 1, 2018, from 10am to 4pm. Ornaments are handcrafted by STARworks artists, interns and resident artists, and come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

STARworks Clay Studio artists have created ceramic crystalline ornaments in new shapes this year. In addition to the familiar ball ornaments, STARworks glassblowers have brought back the popular star ornaments, candy canes and icicles for this holiday season.

The glass and ceramic artists at STARworks have also created ornaments and holiday items for the STARworks Signature Series. Glassblowers and clay artists create Signature Series items in their own time after work. These items are unique to each artist and in limited supply.

There are no advanced or reserved sales. Ornaments left after the sale will be available in the School House Gallery at STARworks, Monday through Saturday, from 9am to 5pm, while supplies last. A limited selection of ornaments will be available online at (www.STARworksNC.org) after the sale. Prices start at $10. Payment options include cash, check or credit cards.

STARworks recommends people arrive at the ornament sale as close to 10am as possible to ensure a good selection. Doors will open at 9am for those who like to arrive early, but the sale will not begin until 10am. The STARworks Café & Taproom will open at 8am with coffee drinks, smoothies, pastries and more.

STARworks is a project of Central Park NC, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the economy of the region by focusing on the sustainable use of our natural and cultural resources. Proceeds from the ornament sale help fund STARworks programs, including the high school glassblowing and ceramics programs.

STARworks is located at 100 Russell Drive in Star, just off I-73/74 in northern Montgomery County.

For the 23rd year, people of all ages will attend the American Indian Heritage Celebration at the North Carolina Museum of History in downtown Raleigh, NC. The state’s featured event for recognizing National American Indian Heritage Month will be held on Sat., Nov. 17, 2018, from 11am to 4pm. Members of all eight state-recognized tribes* will share their history and culture during this popular festival, named a “Top 20 Event” in 2017 by the Southeast Tourism Society. Admission is free.

Over 100 presenters will fill the museum and Bicentennial Plaza throughout the day, including drum groups, dancers, craftspeople, storytellers, scholars, and artists. There will be plenty of hands-on activities for children, such as the bow-and-arrow shooting range, finger weaving, and corncob darts. Food and beverages from American Indian owned businesses and organizations will be available. There will also be opportunities to take home souvenirs from select artists and vendors.

“Each year’s celebration brings something familiar and something new,” says Emily Grant, Youth Programs Coordinator. “From demonstrations of centuries-old crafts to discussions of current issues and what it means to be American Indian in 2018, the event will be part family reunion, part pageantry and performance, and part celebration of the resiliency and energy of community.”

During the day, there will be many opportunities to learn about the eight state-recognized tribes in North Carolina. Attendees can:

Attend the Grand Entry, the roll call of NC’s tribes and organizations, which will be accompanied by drum groups and hundreds of dancers dressed in colorful regalia.

Take in a fashion show and see how clothing designer Tabatha Jacobs Polanco incorporates traditional native elements into everyday fashion for the 21st century.

Engage with authors and educators, including Lena Epps Brooker (Hot Dogs on the Road: An American Indian Girl’s Reflections on Growing Up in a Black and White World) and Dr. Malinda Maynor Lowery (The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle).

Discover UNC Chapel Hill’s virtual museum, a collection of 3D models of archaeological artifacts, and learn about the NC Archives and State Library’s efforts to digitize documents relating to American Indian communities.

Watch a short film that documents the efforts of Robeson County residents who oppose the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Afterwards, you will have the chance to talk with the creators of the film about the project.

Observe exciting demonstrations of weapon making and dugout canoe burning.

Attend an informative talk with Dr. Vibrina Coronado on how Indians in Robeson County confronted Ku Klux Klan members in 1958 and thwarted their plans to rally.

Learn how to make cough syrup using the medicinal and nutritious elderberry with Ricky Bratz of the Conservation Fund.

For an exciting and educational experience, bring the entire family to the 23rd Annual American Indian Heritage. For a full schedule of all performances and presentations, visit (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/events) or call 919/814-7900.

Sponsored in part by the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs; the City of Raleigh, based on recommendation of the Raleigh Arts Commission; the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County; IBM; Food Lion; Locklear Roofing; Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina; and MOHA (North Carolina Museum of History Associates).

Special Programming

Be sure to join us throughout the month of November for our American Indian-related educational programming:

The Lumbee and the Coharie draw their tribal names from local rivers; the Meherrin call themselves “people of the water” about the rivers, wetlands, and sounds of their home; the Waccamaw Siouan creation story features a lake. North Carolina tribes identify themselves by the landscapes and sacred places where they live, or once lived.

Watch artists, dancers, and performers; participate in workshops and craft activities; and learn about NC’s American Indian population. This event offers something for all ages and gives a firsthand opportunity to learn about the state’s American Indian culture, past and present.

Sponsored, in part, by the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs; the City of Raleigh, based on recommendation of the Raleigh Arts Commission; Food Lion; United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County; Triangle Native American Society; and MOHA, the Museum of History Associates. Come to the festival and join the museum today to get your MOHA membership for half-price.

The NC Museum of History, a Smithsonian affiliate is located at 5 E. Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9am to 5pm, and Sunday, noon to 5pm. The museum collects and preserves artifacts of North Carolina history and educates the public on the history of the state and the nation through exhibits and educational programs. Each year more than 400,000 people visit the museum to see some of the 150,000 artifacts in the museum collection. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

For information about the NC Museum of History, call 919/814-7000 or access (www.ncmuseumofhistory.org) or follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or YouTube.

After three weeks of being closed due to flooding from Hurricane Michael, Dare County Arts Council has reopen in downtown Manteo, NC.

Dare County Arts Council’s carpets had to be replaced due to the flooding, but the nonprofit has been working closely with Dare County to get the doors back open as soon as possible.

“A huge thank you to all of our volunteers and the Dare County Building and Grounds Crew for all of their hard work,” said Dare County Arts Council Executive Director Chris Sawin.

Photo by Daniel Pullen

The current exhibit is the People’s Choice Exhibit, which will feature Daniel Pullen’s photography. The Outer Banks community voted for the People’s Choice Exhibit earlier in the year, and out of over 200 nominations Pullen was nominated the most.

The People’s Choice Exhibit titled “Homesick” will debut new work that Pullen says is not his typical style. “The show isn’t going to be filled with landscape and seascapes,” said Pullen. “The premise is, if I passed away or was not able to make it back to Hatteras Island, what would I miss most, my daily routine, my rut, etc.”

Janet B. Sessoms has won the Best In Show award at the “Farm to Table” art show being held at Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, NC. The show includes over 80 paintings and more than 100 three-dimensional pieces in wood, glass and clay, all which support or depict the Farm to Table theme. Sessoms’ winning entry is “Island Tractor,” an 11- x 14-inch (unframed size) oil painting.

Sessoms received her Bachelor of Science degree in Art Education at University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is a member of Wilmington Art Association and Women Painters of the Southeast. Her work has been featured on the cover of “Art Guide” magazine, “Wrightsville Beach” magazine and “Cape Fear Living” magazine among others.

The “Farm to Table” exhibit opened Nov. 2 and will run through Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Ballots are available for gallery visitors to vote for their favorites. A People’s Choice award will be announced after ballots have been counted on Dec. 1.

Sunset River Marketplace showcases work by approximately 150 North and South Carolina artists, and houses some 10,000 square feet of oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, art glass, fabric art, pottery, sculpture, turned and carved wood and artisan-created jewelry. There are two onsite kilns and four wheels used by students in the ongoing pottery classes offered by the gallery. There are realistic and abstract art classes as well as workshops by nationally and regionally known artists. During select months, the gallery hosts Coffee With the Authors, a series of presentations by local and regional authors.

The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467. Hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm. For more information, call 910/575-5999 or visit the website at (www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com). Daily updates are available on Facebook.

On our cover this month are works by Seagrove, NC, potters who will be showing and selling their works at the 11th Celebration of Seagrove Potters, at the Historic Lucks Cannery, just outside of Seagrove, with a gala on Friday, Nov. 16 and then open sale on Nov. 17 & 18, 2018. There will be more potters and ceramic works of all sorts and kinds than you can shake a stick at – which I keep saying but don’t know what it means.

So download that PDF and dig in – it makes for good reading and shows that you have lots of opportunities to enjoy the visual arts in the Carolinas. And, don’t forget to find a way to thank our advertisers – they make this publication possible.

And help us spread this issue around by sending this link to your friends.

Don’t forget that the deadline for our December 2018 issue will be Nov. 24 at 5pm.

On our cover this month is “Wash Day” by Kevin Chadwick, part of the exhibit “Tapestry of Life,” on view at Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art in Charleston, SC, from Oct. 5 – 31, 2018. A reception will be held on Oct. 5, from 5-8pm, during the Charleston Gallery Association’s city-wide art walk.

So download that PDF and dig in – it makes for good reading and shows that you have lots of opportunities to enjoy the visual arts in the Carolinas. And, don’t forget to find a way to thank our advertisers – they make this publication possible.

And help us spread this issue around by sending this link to your friends.

Don’t forget that the deadline for our November 2018 issue will be Oct. 24 at 5pm.